Chapter Nine: The Northern Dipper Star Formation

Faced with the bright, spirited gaze of Huo Jinyu, Jiang Wangshu nodded swiftly. "I have a way. But I need more people."

She had never been one for grand ambitions, preferring to indulge in the pleasures of food and idleness. Yet if these parasitic beasts weren’t swiftly dealt with, they would inevitably disrupt the peaceful life she hoped for. Thus, these detestable monsters had to be eliminated as soon as possible.

"What are you doing?!" Zou Xiuzhen exclaimed in shock.

Jiang Wangshu and Huo Jinyu turned to look, only to see a black figure leaping resolutely into the nearby black hole. The slowly opening vortex paused, then began to shudder violently, as if trying to spit something out. With a soft pop, the black hole vanished without a trace.

While Huo Jinyu was stunned, her heart grew even more certain of Jiang Wangshu’s identity. Truly, masters were surrounded by extraordinary people.

Zou Xiuzhen swallowed nervously and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Someone had willingly jumped into the abyssal black hole! Had he lost his mind, or had the world gone mad?

Jiang Wangshu had no idea what Little Black intended. It was just a contracted beast, after all. Whether it was gravely injured or dead, it mattered little to her.

She withdrew her gaze without concern and seized Huo Jinyu’s wrist. "Hurry, take me somewhere crowded."

"Alright." Huo Jinyu grasped her hand in return and, channeling her spiritual power, dashed southeast.

Zou Xiuzhen quickly followed, scanning their surroundings as he spoke. "Parasitic beasts always appear by the thousands. I’d wager Linyang High School has already fallen."

"The library’s formation is the strongest—everyone must have gathered there!"

Jiang Wangshu, unused to wielding her spiritual power, stumbled as she was dragged along. She looked up and saw the current of energy flowing within Huo Jinyu, instinctively copying its path. In just a few breaths, the route became familiar, and she soon outpaced Huo Jinyu.

Armed with the system’s map of the parasitic beasts’ distribution, she led Huo Jinyu and the others in a perilous journey to the library.

The pristine library shimmered with a blue glow, while grotesque parasitic beasts hurled themselves at it in waves. Burned and flung back by the array, their severed limbs regenerated quickly, and they charged once more. The remains on the ground had already been trampled into a thick layer of bloody pulp, testament to the ferocity of the attack.

Perched in the trees, the three of them surveyed the scene, spotting the tightly packed examinees within the library at a glance.

Their fear was plain to see.

Zou Xiuzhen watched the flickering rhythm of the formation, his brow furrowing sharply. "This is bad—the array won’t last much longer!"

Huo Jinyu trembled all over, yet gritted her teeth to control herself. "There are… too many."

Encircling them were at least a hundred of the creatures—resilient, infectious, and deadly. Could this Master Jiang truly save them?

A bleak despair crept into her heart. Was there any hope of surviving this day?

Jiang Wangshu produced an Amplification Talisman. "Huo Jinyu, you tell them…"

She handed a formation model to Zou Xiuzhen. "Huo Jinyu says you’re good at calculations. Draw this within thirty seconds and use an Image Talisman to show everyone."

Zou Xiuzhen was instantly captivated by the formation. "This is… the Northern Dipper Array, but improved…"

He looked at Jiang Wangshu in astonishment. "You’re just going to show everyone this?"

So many clans guarded their formations jealously to preserve their honor, but this stranger was offering up a formation of such immense power. Once such a treasure was made public, its value would diminish greatly.

Jiang Wangshu frowned. "Hurry!"

If they delayed, the street vendors would be gone, and she’d lose her chance to taste the delicacies from the original host’s memories.

Zou Xiuzhen bowed with a fist over his heart, spine bent in respect. "Master Jiang, your generosity is unmatched!"

He immediately set about studying and sketching the formation.

Huo Jinyu thought her amplified voice was only reaching the examinees in the library, but in fact, her words echoed throughout the entire education district.

"Fellow students, the library’s array is nearly spent. Only by uniting can you break through the horde of parasitic beasts…"

A commotion broke out inside the library.

"We have to go out! You go, I don’t want to be possessed by those things!" A boy’s eyes darted about; spotting a frail girl beside him, he shoved her toward the beasts.

The girl, already near the edge, stumbled straight toward the monsters. The parasitic beast, dripping with black slime, opened its cavernous maw—she was so terrified she forgot to breathe.

The formation gently bounced her back into the safe zone. Regaining her senses, she turned to face the boy.

"Coward! You only dare lash out at those beside you in the face of danger."

She then turned to look outside. "Better to take action than wait passively for doom."

Her resolve sparked courage in the others.

"We may only be at the Qi Refining stage, but we’ve embarked on the path of cultivation. We must face danger as our forebears did."

"That’s right—we must not disgrace our predecessors’ name!"

Most gathered their courage, ready to charge out and fight the parasitic beasts to the death, when suddenly the sky blazed with light.

Everyone saw a simple formation diagram appear overhead. It seemed utterly unremarkable, with only three key points—just three people could activate it.

This seemingly basic formation left everyone breathless. Anyone who’d received twelve years of compulsory education could see its immense power.

"We’re saved!"

"With this array, what have we to fear from parasitic beasts?"

"It’s pure yang, overwhelmingly strong—who could have created such a formation?"

…

Students in other schools across the education district heard Huo Jinyu’s voice and scoffed.

"Parasitic beasts? Who’s spreading such nonsense?"

"Exactly! Everyone knows the education district spent a fortune to have the Jiang clan set up a Heavenly Gang Star Array. As if parasitic beasts would dare come here!"

"But what kind of Amplification Talisman is this? The sound is so clear! Even when I cast a spell to block my ears, the words seem to land directly in my mind."

None of the students in other schools believed the warning—until the next moment, when the formation appeared in the sky. Instantly, everyone fell silent.

As examiners, they immediately recognized its rarity and scrambled to memorize it, fearful it would vanish from Yan Qianhu at any moment.

Once committed to memory, the examiners came to their senses and began sending messages in the jade slip group chat.

Examiner 1: Did you all see that formation?

Examiner 2: Still studying it, don’t disturb.

Examiner 3: This truly embodies the essence of simplicity.

Examiner 4: Is the news about the parasitic beasts true?

A flurry of mocking messages flooded the chat.

Examiner 7: Has anyone noticed that not a single examiner from Linyang No. 3 High has replied?

A hush fell over the group, and they began frantically tagging the No. 3 High examiners.

There was no response.

All the examiners immediately halted the exams, protected the students, and began urgently teaching the formation in preparation.

Compared to the other schools, where examiners could protect and instruct, the students of Linyang No. 3 High were left to fend for themselves. As the epicenter, some of their examiners had already perished fighting the beasts, while others had been possessed and were now hunting the students throughout the campus.

The examinees not only had to guard against the parasitic beasts’ attacks and possession, but also evade the possessed examiners’ relentless pursuit.